personify

verb

per·son·i·fy | \ pər-ˈsä-nə-ˌfī

personified; personifying

Definition of personify

transitive verb

1 : to conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers

2 : to be the embodiment or personification of : incarnate a teacher who personified patience

Other Words from personify Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about personify

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Examples of personify in a Sentence

The ancient Greeks personified the forces of nature as gods and goddesses. Justice is personified as a woman with her eyes covered.

Recent Examples on the Web

The player who personified it was the same player who would emerge as James’s unlikely foil. — Ben Cohen, WSJ, "How LeBron James Became Stephen Curry," 20 Dec. 2018 The 86-year-old man known nationwide as Sheriff Joe, who personifies the tough immigration policies that define the modern-day Republican Party, may never serve in public office again after his loss Tuesday. — Steve Peoples, The Seattle Times, "Primary takeaways: Establishment fails and diversity grows," 28 Aug. 2018 Written in plain-spoken prose, the slim volume focuses on a character who in many ways personifies a demographic panic in Japan. — Motoko Rich, New York Times, "For Japanese Novelist Sayaka Murata, Odd Is the New Normal," 11 June 2018 District voters have demonstrated a willingness to reject incumbent mayors, the first being Walter Washington, who lost his 1978 reelection bid to Barry, then a civil rights activist who personified the city’s defiant rebirth under Home Rule. — Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, "With mounting scandals in D.C., where are the challengers to the mayor?," 4 Mar. 2018 Roy Haslton Frowick, the American designer known simply as Halston, was glamour personified. — Vogue, "Watch an Exclusive Clip of Halston Before Its Sundance Premiere—And Read What the Director and Producer Say About Its Making," 23 Jan. 2019 Dan Sullivan, a Republican senator from Alaska, personifies these broader forces reshaping the U.S. approach to the world. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "Trump Didn’t Kill the Global Trade System. He Split It in Two.," 26 Dec. 2018 Because there’s something inherent to the human mind that desperately wants to personify everything. — Steven Brykman, Ars Technica, "Douglas Adams was right: “Genuine people personalities” are coming to our gadgets," 22 Dec. 2018 With the hood pulled up over his head and his hands tucked into his pockets, Justin kind of resembled a watercolor painting, personified. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Justin Bieber Wears Multicolored Tracksuit on a Date With Hailey Baldwin," 16 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'personify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.